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Friday, March 21, 2008

Today I taught ChemE the difference between a "comment" and a "guest post." Then I turned her comment into a guest post and here it is. Please note that she validates my story about the plane just in case some of you didn't believe me.

Okay okay so I am a paranoid person. (and the comment about the plane is true).

I do have a separate credit card for online purchases. It has a low limit. I had a similar experience where someone made a fraudulent purchase with this card number. The bank was very good and called me right away, canceled the card and I was not responsible for the $1500 of plus size lingerie sent from NYC to LA. (amazingly enough the amount spent was exactly the available balance on the card. hmmm). [ed. note: If there's anything I hate more than a criminal it's a stupid one. Is there anything that says RED FLAG louder than one purchase for the exact available limit?]

I do check my overall credit report on a regular basis from all 3 agencies. It is free. Your actual credit score requires a payment. [ed. note: For your next guest post will you explain the difference between these 2 things because I have no idea how to read them?]

I usually only make online purchases with companies I've either done previous business with or have checked out. The one exception to that rule resulted in the above lingerie purchase. [ed. note: I was the one who found the place she was buying from so the whole incident is my fault.]

I typically don't open e-mail attachments unless someone has said, oh by the way, I'm sending you some photos etc. I don't click on links either that are supposedly from the credit card, the electric company etc. I always go straight to the actual web site.

I have had mysterious e-mails from my banks. In all cases, I have called the bank and it turned out that the e-mail did not come from them.

I do think the apple computers are more secure than the PC windows based computers. We use both and to date, no issues with apple. The difference in the operating system also helps prevent spyware from being downloaded when online.

Skank of America treated you pretty well considering the corporation is so impossible to deal with otherwise.

ChemE

P.S. Forgot to add that my wireless network is secure so other people can't access it. My neighbor's is not however.

5 comments:

I don't remember if I mentioned it before, but here's a good place to repeat it if I did; our grocery store's files were hacked and the villians made off with THOUSANDS of credit and debit card numbers. I'm not sure what they can DO with the numbers - I'm almost certain they didn't get names to go with the numbers and am equally sure they didn't get the little three-digit security code numbers off the backs of the cards - but the fact remains that my Capital One card number is now in the hands of someone who shouldn't have it. I'm checking the account regularly and, so far *knock, knock*, nothing's come up fishy.

I like the idea of a separate card for online purchases. We have a completely empty account with a different card company - the cards are still attached to the paper with the authorization phone number on it and are stuffed in a drawer - that I might start using for Amazon and CDBaby.

We have to wait to see if she'll do another post but I think she will. She knows a lot about this stuff. Part of me wants to have her do an airline safety post just for kicks but I don't want to know that stuff because ignorance is bliss to me!

One of my credit card companies will give you a different card number to use for online transactions. It is called a "virtual" cc and is good for one use only. Then you get a different number. It is good for sites you have not yet done business with.

Steph, there's a reason The ChemEs get along so well with your dad. :)

Seester, after what happened today on the follow up I'm kind of loving the virtual cc idea. Though, crap on a crutch, all I want to do is simplify my life and I'm going to spend the next month fucking fighting tooth and nail to secure my freaking account and stop the BANK from defrauding me!